I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Rows of houses all bearing down on me
I can feel their blue hands touching me
All these things into position
All these things we'll one day swallow whole
And fade out again and fade out
This machine will, will not communicate
These thoughts and the strain I am under
Be a world child, form a circle
Before we all go under
And fade out again
And fade out again
Cracked eggs, dead birds
Scream as they fight for life
I can feel death, can see its beady eyes
All these things into position
All these things we'll one day swallow whole
And fade out again
And fade out again
Immerse your soul in love
Immerse your soul in love
I can feel their blue hands touching me
All these things into position
All these things we'll one day swallow whole
And fade out again and fade out
This machine will, will not communicate
These thoughts and the strain I am under
Be a world child, form a circle
Before we all go under
And fade out again
And fade out again
Cracked eggs, dead birds
Scream as they fight for life
I can feel death, can see its beady eyes
All these things into position
All these things we'll one day swallow whole
And fade out again
And fade out again
Immerse your soul in love
Immerse your soul in love
Lyrics submitted by piesupreme, edited by GoodOldFashionedLoverBoy, Paymaan
Street Spirit (Fade Out) Lyrics as written by Edward John O'brien Colin Charles Greenwood
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Quote from Thom:
"'Street Spirit' is our purest song, but I didn't write it.... It wrote itself. We were just its messengers... Its biological catylysts. It's core is a complete mystery to me... and (pause) you know, I wouldn't ever try to write something that hopeless... All of our saddest songs have somewhere in them at least a glimmer of resolve... 'Street Spirit' has no resolve... It is the dark tunnel without the light at the end. It represents all tragic emotion that is so hurtful that the sound of that melody is its only definition. We all have a way of dealing with that song... It's called detachment... Especially me.. I detach my emotional radar from that song, or I couldn't play it... I'd crack. I'd break down on stage.. that's why its lyrics are just a bunch of mini-stories or visual images as opposed to a cohesive explanation of its meaning... I used images set to the music that I thought would convey the emotional entirety of the lyric and music working together... That's what's meant by 'all these things are one to swallow whole'.. I meant the emotional entirety, because I didn't have it in me to articulate the emotion... (pause) I'd crack.... Our fans are braver than I to let that song penetrate them, or maybe they don't realize what they're listening to.. They don't realize that 'Street Spirit' is about staring the fucking devil right in the eyes... and knowing, no matter what the hell you do, he'll get the last laugh...and it's real...and true. The devil really will get the last laugh in all cases without exception, and if I let myself think about that to long, I'd crack. I can't believe we have fans that can deal emotionally with that song... That's why I'm convinced that they don't know what it's about. It's why we play it towards the end of our sets. It drains me, and it shakes me, and hurts like hell everytime I play it, looking out at thousands of people cheering and smiling, oblivious to the tragedy of it's meaning, like when you're going to have your dog put down and it's wagging it's tail on the way there. That's what they all look like, and it breaks my heart.
I wish that song hadn't picked us as its catalysts, and so I don't claim it. It asks too much. (very long pause). I didn't write that song."
tl;dr but sounds like he needs to lighten up...
all that needs to be said about this song's meaning.
Thank you very much for posting this. It's good to hear what Thom Yorke himself thinks about this song.
this explanation from thom... wow. just hit me too hard. he talks about how he would crack if he thought about it. i almost cracked just reading the whole thing. it truely represents the feeling this song gives me when it comes on. and even though it kills me inside to listen to, i love it. it is pure emotion. thank you for posting this
I probably would think that this song can prove to people that god does exists.
This means the lyrics need to be corrected. "All these things we'll one day swallow whole" to "all these things are one to swallow whole." It's an instruction to the listener rather than an observation. Big difference in meaning and impact.
I can't emotionally connect with this song the way I can other Radiohead songs, and after reading about the meaning... I think I'm glad of that.
I may be a year or two late; but isn't it ironic how he acknowledges the devil's surefire victory even in the instance of the song. As an artist his mass of audience fails to understand the density and impact of his lyrics. A dirty deed of the devil, perhaps who scores yet another every time he sings it. You truly can't beat the guy.
@noneedfordav Damn what a pretentious description of that song from who I am assuming is Yorke.
The song is meant to be the darkest thing writeable. Thom Yorke said it was about "fighting with the devil and losing every time." He has trouble playing it at concerts, because it's so draining to look into the eyes of a cheering audience when singing of total despair.
Whatever. I'm one of those cheering idiots. The song tries to be about death and dread and evil, but just starts coming through as a commentary on dead end life instead. I'm not sure if what Radiohead is trying to pull off is even possible with words, and I'm inclined to believe that if they can't do it no one can.
It's still an incredible song, still my favorite Radiohead song. Maybe it's the enigma of such a great song talking about such an aweful thing that makes me just unable to feel the meaning of it.
I find this is about being able to accept the hopelessness of your situation and being able to accept the efforts of everyone you know trying to get out of it.<br /> <br /> It makes me cry.I want everyone to escape yet know they will not. It allows me to release my inner negative.<br />
God...
Every time I let myself get into this song I get this indescribable negative feeling... Like nothing else. Almost like you take everything bad and mix it together. Lonliness, sadness, bitterness, emptiness...
The line "Immerse your soul in love" is the most painful for me.
Because you know it's just a joke.
This song really is Hell.
The correct lyrics are:
Rows of houses, all bearing down on me I can feel their blue hands touching me All these things into position All these things are one to swallow whole And fade out again and fade out
This machine will, will not communicate These thoughts and the strain I am under Be a world child, form a circle Before we all go under And fade out again and fade out again
Cracked eggs, dead birds Scream as they fight for life I can feel death, can see its beady eyes All these things into position All these things are one to swallow whole And fade out again and fade out again
Immerse your soul in love IMMERSE YOUR SOUL IN LOVE
Am i the only one who is a little freaked out by the idea that this song is the voice of the cosmos? that this is what the universe is trying to tell us? i can see why thom yorke would be loath to play this song if (he really believes that) it wrote itself.
Funny, I don't see the last lines as being particularly hopeful or redemptive. It's not that i'm an especially morbid or pessimistic person, but in the context of the song and the way he sings it, "immerse your soul in love" sounds more like a defense mechanism than a light at the end of the tunnel. that is to say, there ISN'T a light at the end of the tunnel; how else are you going to keep that kind of revelation out of mind but by "thinking happy thoughts?" he might as well be singing, "immerse your soul in paperwork." anything to distract yourself from the knowledge that your soul, and your love, and everyone you surround yourself with will fade out in the end.
on the other hand, the line "form a circle before we all go under" and the fact that he always sings "fade out again" suggest that it wouldn't be the first time, which i suppose does cast the song in a spiritual/cyclic/reincarnate light. or else thom sees death as merely the last disappointment in a lifetime of "fading out." me? i think the cosmos was just looking for something to pad the syllabic count of the chorus, like "oh yeah" or "baby," or "tonite."
also, i think everybody who's getting all sanctimonious and "oh, your interpretation is WRONG because THOM YORKE said it was about blah blah blah..." need to shut the fuck up. if you accept thom's insistence that he did not actually write the song, then how is HIS interpretation of it any more valid than some message-boarder's? because he's in a band? ooo, err. he knows about philosophy and whatnot.
I agree with what most people say here, this song is the reflect of our own world crushing down. Thom didn't say it was about the devil himself, he stated it´s about knowing that the devil will have the final laugh. I feel so related to this song, my life hasn't been so dark and desperate, but it's been quite ironic, quite harsh in many ways. Realizing that your biggest dreams, your biggest hopes, your need for a complete change will never be. The darkness that surrounds this song is overwhelming. No words could truly describe it.
This is the best song of radiohead,it has everything, the nusic is incredible, and the lirycs are just poetry.
I had no idea what some of the lyrics were and I thought it was saying....thoughts of passion her hands are touching me....but i got that bit wrong.anyway I love the song even though i had no real thoughts on it's lyrics or what they meant and sometimes i think that's the way it should be with music afterall it's only sound and it's there to pleasure our ears so I just let it do it's thing sometimes without always having to analyse it's meaning.<br /> And not real sure about all this devil stuff you guys....I don't believe in god or the devil they are just concepts 'invented' by the founders of our religious institutions.Unfortunately though for some reason most of humanity seems to have bought the story no questions asked....anyway radiohead rock and so does the song.
don't know whether Yorke literally believes in the devil (aka Satan, Beelzebub, Mephistopheles, Baphomet...whatever). he DID make a remark about religious belief but it mighta been tongue-in-cheek.<br /> <br /> specifically: on a radiohead message board, Yorke was asked whether he knew Beck. The response:<br /> <br /> "yes through Nigel ~Godrich. but we [Godrich and Yorke] hold up our hands and say NO! when Mr Scientoligy wanders in, strictly C of E as we are.."<br /> <br /> Thom might have meant it more as a cultural thing--or a statement in no uncertain terms that cults and scams hold no interest for him--as opposed to, say, being someone who actually considers himself Anglican in the church-attending sense. (really it's difficult to imagine Thom Yorke being able to sit down in a pew without serious chaos ensuing, due to his extraordinarily high-level celebrity status.)<br /> <br /> conversely Beck is extremely tight-lipped about his spiritual side. many folks will be familiar with the NYT's piece & its reference to Beck hiding behind an "unwavering gaze" when the topic was raised). previously he'd emphasized the more Judaic aspects of his family background: prob. anticipating how being tagged a second-generation CoS'er (which he IS) could adversely affect his career. in another interview, he said he wouldn't discuss religion except with someone close enough to have earned his trust.<br /> <br /> Yorke is privacy-minded, yes. they both wanna be known for their music not for a public persona. similarities end there.<br /> <br /> this song seems evocative of some sort of emotional crisis, complete with what might be considered intrusive thoughts or hallucinations. ("I had a nightmare, complete with barking dogs and Coke machines," as a song goes--by a muso, prickly without question & usually-privately bipolar--I'll leave that one alone, OK. if you know, then you know.)<br /> <br /> such a level of intensity as "Street Spirit" suggests: it might be typical merely of Thom's manner of expressing himself, rather than reflecting anything he might have struggled with in "reality." Or, that his creativity is a method of remaining grounded, such that he'd never wind up venturing helplessly into such hostile realms of inner space, so to speak. reluctant to use phrases such as "personal demons" as again this can be misinterpreted; some folks will take it much too literally.<br /> <br /> too bad the final lines are not present in these lyrics, here:<br /> <br /> immerse yourself in love<br /> immerse yourself in love
This song is the tunnel with no light at the end, and Thom hates it when he looks into the crowd at concerts and sees people singing along with smiles on their faces, but to me, that's not the way that things should be.
Cause every person in that room knows the song is true. It's inescapable; sometimes life just throws things in your way that you can't get round, sometimes things just don't work out and everything gets completely lost, and sometimes people give up on all hope entirely, and that danger, that fear is always there and always will be.
But despite how hopeless and pointless all that seems, if you can stand in a crowd of a thousand people that all know it's true, doesn't that make you feel a whole lot better, knowing that you're part of this battle and you're not alone? Knowing that you've got something in common with all these people, doesn't that just turn a couple of the tears you're crying into hopeful ones? I know it did for me.
It's sad, but when he says there's no saving grace, no redemption in it, he's wrong, because there's redemption in all music. If you can relate, then you're not on your own, and I think that matters a hell of a lot.
For those of you who think this song is about anything other than the Devil himself, do a little research. Thom has come outright and said exactly what it was about. He disavows having written the song himself and claims he was just a tool to do so. They only play it at the end of the concert because it is just so draining for him to play. Although, I have to say I am a little surprised it's so depressing because I felt that the last two lines gave some hope...or at least some comfort to the song and to life. Head the word, immerse your soul in love!! It's all we have people!!
I have extremely mixed feelings about this song. It is incredibly intense and emotional. At the same time, melodic and flowing. It hurts me to hear it but I play it all the time. Some songs you can feel in your bones and they just strike you as though you were just hit...this is defintiely one of those songs!!
I am almost certain that "be a world child, form a circle" is referring to the popular, usually cartoon image, of children holding hands around an extremely undersized Earth. Here's an example: ojp.usdoj.gov/newsroom/events/images/poster_mcd08_full.pdf